The 100: 03×01, Wanheda Part 1 (Review/Recap)

After what felt like a very lengthy hiatus – The 100 has returned to our television screens to exude complete dominance over current programming. Things left off on a rather emotional note for many of the characters last year, and the third season premiere effortlessly threw us back into the fray, so let’s begin to discuss the spectacular episode, Wanheda: Part 1!

The episode starts with Murphy realizing he is trapped inside the lighthouse, located near the destination he and Jaha arrived at last season. The suicide video he discovered is played on a loop along with other extensive footage of Alie. (Who as it turns out is created from a real woman.) Murphy begins to spiral out of control, losing his sanity after 86 days with no hope at escaping the locked facility. In one of his weakest moments, the door is opened and he takes his first steps into the outside world, only to find the drone that led Jaha to the mansion. Much like Jaha, Murphy chases it until locating the large mansion which Jaha has become rather fond of. Clearly Jaha drank the apocalyptic kool-aid… Watch out world, he’s trouble.

At the ark, Lincoln and Bellamy undergo a sparring match, now training their people in hand to hand combat. Lincoln is much more accepted by Bellamy at this point for aiding their survival, an especially nice development for the two. While Bellamy is in an leadership position now, Abby and Kane still are very much active, and in the process of locating Clarke. Monty finds Bellamy and asks for his help to motivate a distraught Jasper on an upcoming mission (Jasper is heartbroken and traumatized after Maya’s death.) A new girl is shown with an interest for Bellamy, giving him something that was a reminder of his mother and sharing a brief kiss before he leaves with to search a sector with his allies. When Jasper comes to, he strikes both Monty and Bellamy making it known that he has no respect for his “comrades.” Since the finale, Raven has managed to locate and repair vehicles for the sky people, so they head out on a mission (but jasper has found an auxiliary cord) and turns it into a joyride for them until a missing station sends out a beacon. While the new chancellor rules suggest they return, the group (Jasper, Bellamy, Octavia, Raven and Miller) decide they need to check things out because it’s where Monty was from – in addition to Miller’s boyfriend. Yeah, that’s right… The 100 slipped in another LGBT inclusive character to prove that sexuality in the world of The 100 is fluid.

A now cleaned up Murphy comes face to face with Alie for the first time, despite watching enough videos to know her treachery. He hopes to convince Jaha that the program isn’t stable, but Jaha says “she saved the world” yeah, I’m going to say it – Jaha is definitely problematic for seeking a false sense of purpose. The group searching for the beacon discover some frightening fellows from “Ice Nation” carrying what triggered the beacon, and a reckless Jasper sparks a fight – ended by Octavia and her wicked machete slinging skills. The queen of badasses returns once again to slay the day! They next come across Indra and Kane who share news that Clarke is now known to be hunted by basically everyone possible, now seen as a legendary killer they refer to as “Wanheda.”

Speaking of Clarke, she’s seen now rocking a new haircut with red dreadlocks, and leaping out of trees killing panthers. Couldn’t she go after anything else other than the adorable and deadly feline? I digress. Clarke takes her kills to a woman for bartering, living a secretive life where she hopes to hide from the world. When the sky people return to Camp Jaha Arkadia, they get Jasper medical attention for his wound made by the ice nation warrior and we see Raven still struggles at establishing normalcy from her injuries. Kane, Indra Bellamy, and Monty head out to find Clarke in fear of a war with the queen of Ice Nation (she sounds frigid and scary already) however, Clarke has other issues as two grounders walk into the bartering place seeking the former leader. The woman who Clarke has come to know (Nyilah) covers for her, giving a false lead to send them a different direction. When they exit, she tells Clarke she has known her real identity from their first meeting. It certainly looks like she has found a little luck during her travels! The two begin to sleep together, proving Clarke is keeping her options open after the devastating betrayal of Lexa.

Abby questions Raven and her injury, now knowing that her pain has returned and her health isn’t in the best place. Abby also states that Raven has pushed Wick away (so is he gone for good?!) and Raven doesn’t appreciate the unsolicited advice from the closest thing she has to a mother. Octavia and Lincoln share their first scene together, and Octavia warns him that unity still doesn’t seem entirely plausible. She has grown concerned with Lincoln’s attempted partnership, and has no desire to wholeheartedly trust the sky people – showing is that Linctavia isn’t currently at their best. I can understand both views on the issue, and hope that some resolve can be reached before it’s too late for my favorite couple.

At nightfall, Jaha heads to the beachfront where Murphy has posted up in protest of the “city of light.” Jaha explains that he only needs an opportunity to prove how important Alie is, and Murphy doesn’t want anything to do with whatever plans they have. Jaha reveals that the warhead was altered into a “power source” according to Alie, helping achieve her overall goals. Jaha offers a small shard to Murphy and tells him it will get him into the city of light, but this is going to end badly, I can feel trouble brewing folks. Emori (a brief character from last season) comes to shore in a rundown boat, offering him to join her. Obviously Murphy jumps at the opportunity, gladly leaving an untrustworthy Jaha on shore. At Arkadia, a character is show attempting to steal something from their supplies and Raven demands a song from the gifted singer as payment – a fair trade right? (also, this serves as a cameo for singer Shawn Mendes) In the episode’s final moments, we see Lincoln join Octavia sleeping away from the camp (that’s a major sign at what’s to come) Clarke struggles to get through sleep without waking up in fear, and Jasper attacks the young man playing piano, being shown to be increasingly unpredictable. The group searching for Clarke comes to a sudden halt as they are ambushed elsewhere, and when Clarke tries to leave the home of her companion she’s captured by the man who was hot on her trail earlier, holding a blade to her throat. Things look like they will surely get trickier for Clarke and the others very soon… This character heavy premiere was quite the return to The 100, and the show knows just how to keep things fresh – so you can guarantee this will be yet another intense season!

Overall Score: 9/10

The second season delivered pure excellence, and the opening of season 3 expanded on the universe of The 100. It definitely felt like an introduction to a dark season that will most likely become another powerful chapter of The 100. The series accurately portrays bursts of PTSD and mental fragility that add depth to the direction The 100 takes at every turn. This premiere proved to embrace a great balance of characters, giving many a chance to develop further since we last saw them.

Aedan’s Final Thoughts:

-The 100 is consistently impressive, giving us new storylines and expanding on residual plot from past seasons.

-Seeing the series embrace mental trauma and others attempting to cope is done effortlessly – with a special nod to Devon Bostick’s role.

-It felt like a gentle entry episode in comparison to what’s coming, so enjoy these happy(ish) moments while you can!